The Outforce

Developer: O3 Games
Publisher: StrategyFirst

 

System Requirements Pentium 166 Mhz, 32 MB RAM

Recommended Pentium II 300MHz, 64+ MB RAM, 17 inch monitor, 3D accelerator card

Ratings
Code Issues Graphics: 6.0 - Simplistic unit and structure design, but nothing looks bad, and some effects such as explosions and nebulas are excellent. Audio: 7.0 - Some of the voices for the Terran units are just plain annoying, but the great music elevates this score considerably. Interface: 7.0 - Bonus points for not having to flip through any menus or open any windows. Everything is right there.	Play Issues Solo Play: 5.5 - It's not bad, but there is absolutely nothing here that you haven't done before. Skirmish mode AI is very aggressive and is a nice challenge--I can't say the same for many of the more mainstream games. Multiplay: NA I guess it could be OK but I never got to try it, as there was never anyone on the server when I tried to play. Definitely buy it for the single player game only. Replayability: Skirmish mode is good, and there is a nice chunk of maps, but the lack of innovation hampers the need to keep playing this one for a long time. Learning Curve: 8.0 - Simple to play, simple to learn. I can't foresee anyone having problems with it. But the lack of anything that can be called a manual is a little disconcerting.
Other/Notes Documentation - 1.0: The tiny booklet gives you the basic story, a list of hotkeys, and a list (no description) of all the units and structures. It really doesn't document anything. Pros: Some nice artwork, great music, strong skirmish AI, and no bugs. Cons: No innovation, simplistic design, fences in space. Overall: 6.0

Ah, the bargain bin. No matter how much trash is piled in it, you can't help but take a peek, hoping to find some elusive gem of a game. On your journey through it you may happen to take notice of The Outforce. Now, often times when we see a game like this--a budget title--we shake our heads in shared embarrassment and ask ourselves, "Why do they even make this stuff?" and most of all, "Who buys this stuff?" Well, The Outforce may elicit that response initially, but after playing the game I can't help but shake my head in disappointment and say, "If only they had a bigger budget." I'm not denying The Outforce's place in the bargain bin, because it is a budget title. But unlike 99% of them, The Outforce did not have me turning my head in revulsion and washing my eyes out. In fact, I thought it was kind of fun. It may not be innovative and it may have a few glaring problems, but most of what it sets out to do is done competently. But is that enough?

The Outforce is the story of human intervention in a galactic civil war between two alien races, the Gobin and the Crion. After a cool intro (with decent voice acting I might add), you can choose to play the campaign, skirmish mode, or multiplayer (although, beware, I have not seen anyone on the servers). Like any good RTS you can play as all three races, each with a fair number of units and different technologies, though the similarities to Starcraft are a bit obvious. The Terrans build the metal ships, the Gobin are your organic race and they sound exactly like the Zerg, and the Crion are like the Protoss, a warrior race that uses energy based weapons and has strange names for things like Zadorec and Tixor. Although they are rather generic races, and the technologies, units, and structures they build are essentially the same (i.e. Warp Inhibitor vs. Warp Jammer), there is a nice amount of detail put in. The Terrans MCV constructs with electricity while the Gobin's Seed Pod pumps fluid into a large egg-like structure until it bursts, revealing the structure inside.

The Outforce, being set in space, requires players to harvest resources by mining asteroids for metal and building solar panels for energy, build a base, build lots of spaceships and kill everything that doesn't belong to you. Hmmm…space may be a misleading word. It is more like a floor on top of some pretty nebulas. It is actually just a 2D strategy game with no 3D representation of space like Homeworld, although the units are 3D models. If you have ever played Star Trek Armada you'll know what to expect. Sure you get some feeling of depth because of the swirling nebulas, the fact that your ships can go under and over other ships and buildings (though purely for visual effect), and by the way the camera tilts a bit when you scroll around the screen. What this boils down to is that the only tactics in the game are in choosing how to compose your forces. You can't take a squad of 10 ships, put them into formation and try to fly under the enemy's base to surprise them. Coupled with the fact that everything is built rather quickly and you generally don't run out of resources, the game play is fast paced and a test of how fast you can throw the largest force at your enemy. But one very big problem is the way the game handles borders. Because it is not fully 3D, there has to some way to restrict movement in some parts of the map. But whereas Star Trek Armada had nebulas that would damage your ships and large asteroid fields to impede your fleet, The Outforce allows you to build fences. Talk about ruining the sense of immersion. How would a fence stop a spaceship? You'll feel like your wasting time trying to fly around them when you should just be going right over or under them. Plus, when an explosion hits them they will move. In fact, all the structures can be jostled out of place, and while the physics model could be billed as being a unique aspect and does come into play in the game-you can use a tow ship to pull things around--it just seems silly. What are they, space stations or piñatas?

There is no need to go into any more detail regarding the gameplay. If you have played a real-time strategy game before you have played The Outforce. Luckily, there are no missing features to add to the damage done by a lack of innovation. It has all the industry standards-grouping, queuing etc.-and the interface is polished and not the least bit intrusive. But its lack of innovation is where the game really suffers. With no features that you can't find in dozens of other games, it becomes a rather easy decision not to even bother. The budget price helps, but not much when spending a little more gets you Star Trek Armada or Homeworld, and spending the same can buy you Starcraft. It really is a shame though, because many aspects of The Outforce are great. The music is excellent-appropriately dark and moody while at the same time fast-paced and exciting. It is one of those soundtracks that significantly add to the game. Also, while many of the 3D ship and structure models are simplistic, they all look decent, and some stand out. Add to that some very sweet nebula effects that make The Outforce's galaxy a very colorful place, impressive explosions, and the fact that I encountered no bugs, it is evident that effort was put into the game. But in the end it just feels too familiar, and while there are moments of genuine fun you just come out saying, "why?"

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Reviewed by Anthony Micari